Profit, in business, the monetary difference between the cost of production and marketing of goods or services and the prices subsequently received for those goods or services. Profit is an essential competitive feature of buying and selling in the economic system. The opposite of profit is loss, whereby the cost of producing certain goods or services is higher than the price a buyer is willing to pay for them. In free market economy, the will to make and function by profits is termed the profit motive. Though normally taken as the basic motive for business, its universality has been challenged by the theory of the firm. Japanese firms, especially, are renowned for preferring market share over at least short-term profits.